NEW YORK — The Cleveland Guardians faced a challenging start in the American League Championship Series on Monday night, falling to the New York Yankees with a score of 5-2. Rookie reliever Joey Cantillo struggled immensely during his outing, throwing four wild pitches, two of which allowed essential runs to cross the plate in the third inning. The Guardians’ pitching staff overall had a rough night, walking seven batters and tossing five wild pitches, managing to tie a postseason record in the process.
Manager Stephen Vogt remarked on Cantillo’s performance, noting, “Joey has done a good job for us coming out of the bullpen, and that inning just kind of got away from us, and that was it.” Cantillo stepped onto the mound after starter Alex Cobb, who had already walked three batters and loaded the bases with two outs. With Cleveland down by one run, Cantillo struggled right from the start. He fell behind Anthony Rizzo with a 2-0 count and then threw a fastball that bounced off catcher Bo Naylor, allowing Aaron Judge to score from third base.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Cantillo followed this by tossing another wild pitch to No. 9 hitter Alex Verdugo, which allowed Giancarlo Stanton to score easily. Within moments, Cleveland was trailing 3-0 due to two wild pitches occurring within six deliveries. Cantillo managed to strike out Verdugo, putting an end to the inning, but his troubles continued in the fourth when he walked Gleyber Torres. Two additional wild pitches later, Torres advanced to third base.
Reflecting on the situation, Naylor said, “A few of ’em were heaters. At this level, with heaters of that velocity, ultimately you just try to get a glove on it and see if you can get it.” After Cantillo issued a walk to Juan Soto, he was replaced by Pedro Avila. Torres crossed home plate on Judge’s sacrifice fly, extending the Yankees’ lead to 4-0. The Guardians couldn’t recover from this early deficit, marking their first ALCS appearance since 2016.
Cantillo expressed regret over his performance, stating, “I wasn’t very sharp. Obviously, fell behind on guys. I didn’t execute pitches, and the control obviously was not there.” This outing was only his second since September 27, and the 24-year-old managed to walk three batters and only threw seven strikes out of 21 pitches. When asked about nerves impacting his game, Cantillo clarified, “No, not necessarily. I fell behind and didn’t make my pitches, and then one thing led to another.”
Setting a franchise record for a bullpen player, Cantillo’s four wild pitches also tied the overall team mark for any pitcher during both postseason and regular-season play. Previously, Jake Westbrook had the distinction of throwing four wild pitches in a game against the Chicago White Sox on April 5, 2010. In the eighth inning, Andrew Walters added another wild pitch, although it did not result in any damage to the Guardians’ scoreline.
The only other team to record five wild pitches in a single postseason game was the St. Louis Cardinals, a feat accomplished by rookie starter Rick Ankiel during a 2000 National League Division Series game against Atlanta. Ankiel later transitioned from pitching to becoming a lefty-hitting outfielder.
Despite the setback, Naylor showed confidence in Cantillo, saying, “Joey’s not a guy I really worry about in terms of confidence or getting his mind back to a right spot. He wants those moments, whether he comes out on the good end or the bad end. He always looks for new ways to get better. You just kind of pick him up, you know, let him know that this team is behind him at all times.” Naylor concluded with a sense of optimism, acknowledging Cantillo’s resilience and strong character.